


Intertwined, Two And The Same

by EverestV



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 07:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3479177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverestV/pseuds/EverestV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Punkcop werewolf AU for the ages! I love this AU so much, if only I had more time to commit to it...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Intertwined, Two And The Same

Waking up was a relief.

Beth stretched languidly and dug her claws in the dirt, taking her time to get herself sorted and dislodge the howl from its climb up her throat. She blinked, yawned, shook out her pelt. It was still dark out but she could smell dawn on the horizon. The robust, jittery aroma of night was fading, the stars had already slid away, and she was perfectly on time for her first patrol of the day. She took a deep breath to taste the morning on her tongue and slipped out of her den.

Her legs eased themselves into a run and as the wind rushed in her ears, as her paws thudded against the forest floor, as she followed the route she knew almost too well, her shoulders rattled away the remnants of another nightmare.

 _You’re not really afraid of the forest. You’re not really afraid of the town either. You’ve lived here for years._ She told herself insistently as her ears swiveled and her jaws hung open and her nose was on alert. _This is your home. You can’t be afraid of your own home._

That seemed to do it for a while and her thoughts shifted to what part of her territory she should work for lunch then the mouse she had accidentally woke up hours too early then wondering if she had enough toilet paper back at the cottage. She didn’t think so, which just meant a trip into town. _No, you can’t put it off again. It’s what got you into this mess to begin with. Your decisions can’t be based on—_

Her breath hitched as she paused at the crest of a small hill. She was facing the horizon and through a clearing in the trees saw dawn begin to paint itself across the sky. Everyday for years couldn’t dim the magnificence of the sight.

The problem was that what the sunrise filled her with colors, it drained her of sound. No longer running, no longer chasing after the sound of her heartbeat, no longer feeling vibrations run up her legs and into her chest, silence collapsed in on her. The forest was beautiful, but the forest was empty, and the hollow echo of her breathing did little to fix that.

 _What do you expect, Beth?_ Her silent words were piercing but a whimper escaped her as she drifted down to lay in the grass. _You’re a monster, a myth. You shouldn’t even exist and most people don’t think you do. You’re straddling two completely opposite worlds and you think you’ll get houseguests out of the whole thing?_ She tucked her nose under her paw and closed her eyes, wishing like hell she would hurt like this less often. There was no logic in it and anyway, it was too early for this—

She heard a twig snap somewhere behind her. Her ears pricked and she drank in the air and she drew very still. The forest fell silent again, but the following scent grew stronger like it was coming closer. It was familiar and yet foreign, swirling in heavier and heavier streams around her senses. Her muscles stiffened, her tail quivered, her legs lifted her upright, a growl lay await in her throat.

It was another wolf, but they _weren’t_ supposed to be here.

Turning around carefully, she dragged her gaze across the landscape. The sky was brightening, the shadows were dying, the dew dampening her paws and the bite of a brisk breeze envigorated her. They wouldn’t be able to hide much longer, their scent was greatly apparent.

She was ready, she _knew_ she was ready, but imagining it was inconceivable.

Her legs took her forward as she continued to admonish her for such thoughts. _So a rogue is in the territory. So you make sure the borders are very clearly marked. So they really shouldn’t be here unless it’s completely brainless. What are you going to do about it?_ Her heartbeat slowed enough to fall away from her attention, the first time in weeks. Instead, her focus was on putting one paw in front of the other, not making a sound, eyes wide and ears swiveling. _Actually engage them? Actually engage some feral animal that’s completely unpredictable? That has the goddamn audacity to bypass clear border markings and think nothing of the fact that they’re trespassing? Whoever they are could be...could be stronger o-or bigger and probably deserves to be treated with..._

Her eyes closed, just for a minute, and she saw herself moving-jumping _leaping_ in the darkness of her eyelids. Moving-jumping _leaping_ at the unaware intruder, moving-jumping _leaping_ at the disturber of her peace. And her jaws would catch and hold and grip iron-tight onto flesh and muscle and bone, all the while her claws would be slashing, would be _tearing_ , would be _ri-ri-ripping_ away at fur and ears and— _no. Stop thinking like that. You’re not an animal. You’re not...you’re not_ just _an animal. You’re not an animal_ now _. You can’t—_

A flash of fur in her peripheral, and she was off. She almost expected red to flood her vision—she felt that detached to logical reasoning—but maybe life wasn’t like the movies even if you were some version of a Hollywood monster. Her paws moved of their own accord, her claws tore up the ground beneath her, she was running so fast she was practically flying, but the sight of trees racing past and something weaving in and out among them remained clear.

Something about the whole thing, though...about how quickly the other wolf was ready to take off, like maybe they had already been running before catching wind of her. They certainly had a headstart on her, but what was distance compared to strategy and schema? She veered off to the right to take the higher ground and pushed herself even further.

What she didn’t realize would be such a disadvantage for her, however, was the moment after she had caught up.

She was used to tackling down big game like stags or elk or even moose when it came to it. What she wasn’t used, nor prepared for, was tackling something the same size as her. The exact same size.

As her paws left the ground and she flew through the air and her claws were extended and her teeth were bared in a ready snarl, she knew made a mistake. Her weight was concentrated too much forward. Her limbs were too ready to twist and drag to the side. She landed on the rogue too heavily and too squarely on their shoulders. They let out a startled bark and the two of them were sent careening down a hill.

Beth tried to stop herself from flipping over the other wolf’s head, tried to stop herself from rolling, tried to get her claws untangled from the rogue’s disheveled coat, but she couldn’t get her bearings. She just kept moving, tossing, twisting, jerking, pitching forward and back. It was by complete chance she landed on top of the the wolf with her paws pinning them harshly into the ground.

She was breathing hard and her chest was on fire and her muscles tingled with the memory of buckling and...and...

She was looking into a mirror.

The wolf beneath her had the exact same pelt as her: brown and black and gray, all mottled in the same spots. The wolf’s ears pricked at the same angle’s her did. Their muzzles were the same shape, she could swear it. And their eyes...

They held each other’s gold-tinged amber gaze, the color so non-wolflike, the color so non-humanlike, the color so _alike_ it hurt. For the first time, Beth sought out the rhythm of her heartbeat and found two responding in perfect unison.


End file.
